Capital Report: Election Reform Talks Heats Up

State employees will have to keep paying three percent of their salaries their own retirement accounts. Regan McCarthy reports an effort to stop the payments has been quashed by a Florida Supreme Court ruling, finding the law requiring the payments, to be constitutionally sound.

In the battle over how Florida runs its elections, Republicans and Democrats have largely been on opposite sides. But, as Jessica Palombo reports, lawmakers say, everyone’s getting on the same page as the Governor releases his ideas for election reform this [last] week.

The mother of Trayvon Martin and Democratic lawmakers are calling for the repeal of the state’s so-called “stand-your-ground” law. The bill to repeal the law comes nearly a year after neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman shot and killed the unarmed teen.

Florida legislators are wading through a swath of conflicting information, trying to understand how the Affordable Care Act will affect Florida employers. There are three types of businesses addressed in the healthcare law. Large employers that pay the cost of healthcare for their employees, large employers that purchase insurance, and small businesses. And as Lynn Hatter reports, there’s a lot of confusion surrounding how each group is affected by the law.

Florida is one of the top states in the nation for human trafficking. And, as Sascha Cordner reports, with Human Trafficking Awareness Month coming to a close, efforts are underway to continue trying to curb the practice, which includes putting more measures and penalties in place to shut down illegal massage parlors

A few months before each lawmaking session, Florida TaxWatch rolls out its wish list of cost-cutting measures for state government. Tom Flanigan reports this year is no exception, although a brightening economy may have reduced the need for lawmakers to cut expenses….